Designing for Durability: Alison Zitzke on Getting Plastic Pallets Right

Plastic pallets may cost more upfront, but for companies willing to look past the initial sticker price, they often offer far greater value over the long run. That’s the perspective of Alison Zitzke, Key Market Manager at ORBIS Corporation, who recently joined Reusable Packaging News to chat about plastic pallet design as part of our Insights from Experts series.

With her deep knowledge of pallet design and a practical approach to problem-solving, Zitzke offered guidance on how companies can think more strategically about their choice of plastic pallets – what matters, what to watch out for, and what to expect as the industry evolves.

“The most important factor is finding the right balance of price versus performance,” Zitzke explained. “It starts with understanding how the pallet will be used – material handling, racking, types of loads – and what pain points you’re trying to solve.”

Visit our hub for a broader explanation of plastic pallet design and performance.

Look Beyond Plastic Pallet Cost: Consider the Full Application

A recurring theme in our conversation was that many buyers focus too heavily on cost, particularly when comparing plastic to wood.

“We see it all the time – procurement wants a plastic pallet that costs the same as wood,” Zitzke said. “But that’s not realistic. What we do is help the customer see the bigger picture—how the right pallet can improve safety, efficiency, and cost savings over time.”

Part of that bigger picture involves thinking beyond immediate operational needs. Zitzke emphasized the importance of factoring in future changes, such as planned automation, new food safety regulations, or corporate sustainability initiatives.

“A lot of companies come to us because they’re preparing for automation or aiming to meet sustainability goals,” she said. “That often becomes the tipping point to switch from wood to plastic.”

Design tradeoffs like reinforcement, resin selection, and expected trip count are discussed in more detail in our plastic pallets market overview.

Concerns about allergens or contamination are also driving change in industries like food, beverage, and pharmaceuticals. Plastic’s non-porous surface, lightweight construction, and absence of nails or splinters make it a safer and more hygienic alternative. Zitzke noted that operator safety is another overlooked benefit- plastic pallets are easier to handle, especially in fast-paced manufacturing and distribution environments.

And then there’s durability. “Even in a simple closed-loop system,” Zitzke added, “a well-designed plastic pallet can last hundreds of trips. When you calculate that out, many of our customers find the ROI is under a year.”

Addressing Misconceptions: It’s Not Just About Plastic

Despite the compelling business case, plastic pallets still face pushback from some quarters. According to Zitzke, it often comes down to perception.

“There’s this general misconception that plastic is bad,” she said. “But that’s really more focused on single-use plastics. Reusable plastic pallets are a completely different story. They’re built to last, they’re recyclable, and they’re part of a circular system.”

Cost is another common concern, but ORBIS has strategies to address that too. “We offer lease-to-own or rental options through our ORBIS Commercial Services program,” Zitzke said, “so companies can spread out the cost while reaping the benefits immediately.”

A third issue that arises, especially during conversions from wood, is the coefficient of friction. In short, product loads may shift more easily on smooth plastic surfaces than on wood, unless frictional features are built in. This is where Zitzke gets especially animated.

“It’s one of the biggest pain points we help solve,” she explained. “Our Odyssey® pallet, for example, includes up to 20 molded-in frictional elements – more than any other pallet in the market. These aren’t grommets that can fall out—they’re built right into the pallet structure.”

Not only do these elements help secure loads during handling, but they also offer peace of mind in food or pharmaceutical applications, where contamination from loose components is a serious concern.

Zitzke also debunked another common misconception: that solid-deck pallets are always better for cleaning.

“We hear it all the time – ‘I need a solid deck so I can wash it,’” she said. “But in most cases, our open-deck pallets are designed with flow-through channels, so there’s nowhere for water or debris to collect. And I’ll often ask, ‘Are you washing your wood pallets today?’ Usually, the answer is no.”

Built to Perform: Material, Features, and Education

For Zitzke, what sets ORBIS apart is its integrated approach to design, material selection, and customer education. It starts with designing pallets that are optimized for recycled content—not just adding it in later.

“Historically, recycled content would lower performance, so you’d need to make walls thicker, which adds weight,” she explained. “But now, we’re designing new pallets from scratch to perform with recycled material, even customer-supplied streams. That’s a big change.”

Zitzke cited the Odyssey® again as a success story: “It’s 100% recycled content, and whether it’s unreinforced or reinforced with galvanized steel, it meets the demands of heavy-duty users.”

Even details like stretch-wrap hooks and edge features are carefully considered. “Stretch wrap might grab easily on wood, but on plastic it can slide,” she said. “We add wrap-friendly features—and sometimes help customers eliminate unnecessary packaging altogether.”

Nestability and compatibility are other design variables that require close collaboration with customers, especially in applications using multiple pallet suppliers or mixed fleets.

“Nestable pallets are tricky,” Zitzke said. “One customer wants perfect deck-to-deck alignment, another just wants the stack to stay upright. It’s our job to figure out what matters most in their context.”

Regarding reinforcements, Zitzke stressed that ORBIS tries to avoid relying too heavily on steel. “We want our plastic pallets to stand on their own,” she said. “When we do add reinforcements, they’re galvanized steel—no powder coating. That way, there’s no risk of rust or contamination if a forklift scratches the surface.”

Finally, Zitzke emphasized that great pallet design is only part of the equation. What happens after the purchase matters just as much.

“Education is huge,” she said. “We spend a lot of time on-site during conversions – training teams on proper handling, recognizing when a pallet should be taken out of circulation, and understanding how to maximize its service life.”

Zitzke and her team even provide visual guides showing when damage is tolerable versus when a pallet needs to be pulled. “That training helps customers protect their investment—and hit the ROI we’re targeting from the beginning.”

Plastic pallets may never be the cheapest option on a quote sheet, but as Zitzke makes clear, they often deliver the best value in the long run. For companies thinking beyond tomorrow’s invoice and toward a safer, more sustainable supply chain, the right pallet can make all the difference.

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Rick LeBlanc

Rick LeBlanc, EMBA, is the founder and editor of Reusable Packaging News (subscribe to the free newsletter) and editor of Western Pallet Magazine. A supply chain journalist with more than 30 years of experience, he specializes in pallets, reusable packaging, material handling and related operations. Rick is co-author of Pallets: A North American Perspective and Pallets & Progress: A Collected History of Pallets and Palletized Handling 1922–1945. He is also an advisory board member of the Virginia Tech Center for Packaging and Unit Load Design. Read Rick’s full bio.